Clara Dolls Theater
by Ala Alba EC
Summary: The Children of the Fake City do what they do best; being the personification of the Nutcracker Queen's persona. Or are they? After all, self-deprecation is hardly ever objective.
1. Chapter 1

_Beloved Mitakihara. The place that starts everything. This city is our playground, but even we have rules on how things are going. Killing the white rat, for example, is an absolute must. Accepting food from stranger is a big no-no, and so does teasing a little girl in pink. Teasing a mermaid is fine, though discouraged. Mother says so, but no one listens to that one because she herself teases a mermaid anyway._

_We're the children of the fake city. But fake or not, we don't really think it matters. Because Mitakihara is still our beloved Mitakihara, a place where we can make some mischief and play without care. Except for those times when Mother's mood grows so foul, she steps on that white rat until it's nothing but a pile of fur. Unfortunately, said pile of fur nowadays only says "Yes" and "More" to Mother, which doesn't improve that metaphorical dark cloud above her head._

_..._

_She should just stick with teasing the mermaid. _

_Since we're such good children, we decided to take it as our duty to tease the mermaid. Things like putting tacks inside the uwabaki and such. It would be a success if only the school uses uwabaki in the first place._

_..._

_Sometimes we're too wondering whether this city is really in Japan or no._

_Either way, we're going to show our everyday life in this city. A documentary or whatever you guys call it. Too pretentious for us, so we're calling it shenanigan. _

_Homulilly rocks, by the way._

_**1. IBARI **_

_It was said that the Puellae Magi prefer high places because it makes them feel like owning the entire world. On the other hand, among fellow Puellae Magi there's a popular saying that just like the smoke that always rising far up to the sky, those who attracted to high places are air-headed fools._

_Self depreciation? Disapproval toward the old stereotype? One could only shrugs._

_But her, no one doubt why she likes high places. Looking down upon the others is practically her job. Though her sisters will forever wondering why it always followed by making heroic pose like those toku shows. Or maybe like a certain twin drill lady. I'm not afraid of anything anymore and all that jazz._

_Sometimes arrogance can't be separated from making fool of oneself._

_At the bottom of the building she stands on, her sisters would gossip like a bunch of housewives regarding her antic. This is hypocritical as they all came to be from negative self-loathing of a notoriously obsessive stalker._

_Oh, well._

_**2. NEKURA **_

_She would often look up on whatever her sisters had suggested, and would almost immediately shake her head no. _

_Putting an eraser trap on the door for the teacher? There's no way such a flimsy trick will work._

_Stealing from the market's stalls? We're doing mischief, not criminals._

_Hiding people's things inside their own shoes locker? We're going to play prank or no?_

_Her sisters will grow tired of her quips fast, then go playing prank on her instead. After all, the most useful thing a KY can do for a bunch of naughty children is to be the target of their prank. Their tomatoes civil war will often devolved from group A vs. group B into the children vs. her._

_Not that she worries with her status as designed butt of every joke. They have a pretty short attention span, and they definitely won't miss any chance to tease the mermaid and her stranded minions._

_Those cute, cotton-headed Anthony are fun to kick around. And to snuggle to. And to pet until there's a bald spot in the middle of that puffy head._

_... In fact, screw making prank in general. Why can't we just pet some Anthony and call it a day? Isn't it better if we all just get along...?_

_If only Mother listens to her more often... _

_**3. USOTSUKI **_

_One thing that all Puellae Magi share is their ability to lie through their teeth and no one will pick it up unless they really look into it. That alone should make her the strongest of all children._

_But the rest of her sisters are so honest, it's physically painful to watch. And it's upsetting when you know it's your fault everyone misunderstands what you actually mean._

_Watching her mother sit on that chair, alone with only the half moon as company, makes her sad. No one can approach her, because no one can understand her, because she never honest of what she actually thinks._

_One day, her mother notices her staring._

_"What is it?"_

_Then, she stretches her lips to the widest smile she can muster._

_"Nein!"_

_She then skips away from the field like she always does, while mentally beating herself to death._

_Of the fifteen sisters, she's the only one who can't speak for her own desire. Because her mother has something more important to do than attending her own self-pity right now._

_It's ironic, really. _

_**4. REIKETSU **_

_Yesterday, Noroma had gotten herself 'lost' after playing with a 'bad group'. She personally approached the group and blackmailed their families out of the city._

_The day before that, a flock of exceptionally stupid Liese was fooled by a bait from slingshot-armed grade schoolers. Not even pass their lunch break, she rained their classroom with the same stones they used to cripple Mother's pet birds._

_Not long after that, some street urchins stole money and bread while waving their butterfly knife like circus performers. She let them go._

_Today, a baby boy has his fourth birthday. She leaves a tricycle in the family's house before the sun rising._

_**5. WAGAMAMA **_

_Second Sunday of May._

_She hides her gift behind her back and timidly approaches that sole chair on the cliff._

_She's a little worried of what her mother will say or do. After all, of all of her children, she might be the one their mother hates the most. It's because of her, Mother betrayed the Great Goddess of Hope and damned Her salvation. It's because of her, the best of friends became enemies._

_Soft crunch of the grass under her feet warns the Devil of her arrival. Without turning, Mother acknowledges her presence._

_"Wagamama..." she whispers, "Anything you need?"_

_Here goes..._

_She bows her head low as she presents the red carnation. It's not even a real flower... but she made it with everything she got! It may not as well-made as those sold in shops, but she poured her wish into each crease of the petal._

_"Zum Muttertag!"_

_She doesn't know how long she bows, but each passing seconds makes her heart so full of fear._

_Someone takes the flower from her hands softly._

_She raises her head, watching Mother twirls the flower by its stem. The Devil then puts the carnation in the middle of her bow._

_"Thank you." Along with a pat on her head._

_Her smile blossoms like that carnation._

_The rest of the night she spends monopolizing this rare affection. Sitting on Mother's lap, watching the starry sky._

_**6. WARUKUCHI **_

_Mother... that white rat is waiting on the Goddess' window lately..._

_Hey, hey, congratulation for your rebirth. Now, you can say "good morning" to your crush as he walks in with his girlfriend..._

_Evening Miss... did you break up with your boyfriend again? What is it this time? Sunny side-up or omurice? At this rate, you won't get married until you're 40._

_That girl in class 3-1 is dating older men to support herself, you know. After all, she no longer has parents..._

_I heard he killed his previous wives and hid the bodies under his bed..._

_...That boy is actually not her husband's son..._

_She definitely did something when on the 'couch'. There's no way, with that kind of voice, she can be an idol._

_What a brickhead! Still coming to this school after her father stole the Diet's fund..._

_That day, she-_

_Reiketsu grasps her (my) shoulder like a vice grip. She (I) slaps her (my) sister's hand when it becomes too painful, eyes flickers red and green._

_Scoffing, she (I) challenges Reiketsu of what she thinks of what she (I) had done._

_It's not like she (I) did something wrong; she (I) only says what had actually happened..._

_Rare for the sisters to argue. But when they do, you can expect her (me) to have something to do with it._

_With teeth like spears and tongue like a sword, people like that are just difficult to maintain order of._

_**7. NOROMA **_

_Pair of abandoned children is wandering in a bad place. Eyes of leering social scums are following everywhere, while the smell of damp walls closing in._

_Unseen by, or perhaps unaware by, the two ignorant children, followed the third child not far behind and in front of, tempting them like a white beautiful bird. Or a candy given by a stranger. Or a cake behind the shop's front window. Teasing and tempting, like an alluring anglerfish._

_If you follow this path, you will get so much money..._

_Voice compelling, thought muddled more they walk inside. Then a man, a sweaty and lard-ridden man, approaches the two. His hands are clenching and unclenching._

_The owner of the voice giggles at the sight._

_What a nice man..._

_Break like an egg shell and join our mother's troupe. Only with her, you can see the world that you dreamed of. _

_**8. YAKIMOCHI **_

_She saw several of her sisters observing Mother fabulously flips her hair._

_Realizing immediately there's something wrong, she chases after several Liese and plucks their feathers wthout mercy..._

_**9. NAMAKE **_

_May. The month for any good familiar to be active for their mothers._

_What a drag..._

_Days the between of Spring and Summer always full of bustling and noisy parks. A lot of children scraping their knees and their parents kissing the pain bye-bye, a place of dogs barking at nothing in particular (one reason why they all like birds and cats more) while previously chasing after their tail._

_She likes Winter more. Winter is quiet, winter can entirely be spent inside the kotatsu and no one will call you out, winter is when you can make funny shapes on the snow._

_She hears another commotion from her place under the shade of trees, but it's no ordinary commotion. Warukuchi is pissing off someone again, and it will surely escalate to them stabbing each other like that one time she insulted Reiketsu's sham of a chest._

_What a drag..._

_There's no one of the sisters that has the same tall build as Warukuchi. None except for her,or maybe Reiketsu. Thus, everyone expects her to wrestle Warukuchi every time she oversteps the rules._

_Turns out it's Reiketsu that she pissed off. Figures. The two are already charging at each other with the sharp end of their rods aiming at their opposite's neck._

_Where's Ibari when you need her, anyway?_

_It's getting too noisy. Regretfully, she lifts her own rod to deflect her sisters', their eyes widens when she suddenly appears in the between of them._

_**10. MIE **_

_It's just a random day, a day like any other._

_She, Reiketsu, and Namake is lazing around because of sheer boredom; though it's not that strange for Namake to feel bored, bored is her general temprament._

_Until they see Mother is gracefully gliding on the flooding riverside of the path to Mitakihara Junior High._

_A wind blows her glorious black lock and into her face._

_Mother then flips her hair away in a trained motion, her fingers combing each strand with care. The ensuing reanimation of shampoo commercial is fabulously epic. Her hair is like that of heroic cape, falling into her back in recorded time like domino pieces._

_Wow..._

_In background, the sound of Yakimochi bothering the birds fills the vicinity._

_Reiketsu then turns toward her sisters and smiles to herself. Her hand goes under her hair, and she copies the motion her mother did as best she can. Their hairs are all stiff, unlike those of human's, so the result is not as good._

_Manuke scoffs._

_She flips her hair with slight more jerk to it. The hair flies a little further than Reiketsu, but the falling is uncanny. Manuke is disappointed._

_Looks like fun!_

_She then reaches under her hair..._

_Until she realizes there's no hair below her shoulder._

_Both Manuke and Reiketsu are holding their laughter, while she grow crestfallen at her lack of voluptuous amount of hair._

_Something heavy is put on her head._

_She looks up and meets Yakimochi's gaze, then looks down and curiously stares at the weaving of crow's feather that now running down her back. Yakimochi only smiles, and flips her own hair to make sure she gets it._

_hesitatedly, she combs her fingers to the between of the feathers. Liese are surprisingly soft to touch, and the wig is the same. She flicks her wrist, and the curtains of feathers are accordingly flaring up._

_She stands shell-shocked, before laughing heartily._

_**11. OKUBYOU **_

_The park, with large sandbox and several children playing inside it, is bustling with people._

_It's a pretty rare sight; people these days prefer to stay inside and watch TV. The sun is like an oven and this park like a frying pan, summer is not good to spend too long outside._

_From the corner of her eyes, she sees Her Lady Goddess' brother drawing on the sand._

_Mother's picture._

_Widening her eyes (if that's even possible), she opens her mouth with question right on her tongue's tip._

_"Tak-kun!"_

_Several more children are immediately crowding the boy. His friends?_

_Her nerve wilts fast._

_"Woah... who's this?"_

_One boy points at the sand drawing. _

_"She's pretty..."_

_Tatsuya looks down at his own masterpiece, and shrugs._

_"Dunno!" he then smiles, "Just wanna draw her."_

_Gathering her own courage, she approaches the children, pride for her mother overruling her fear and praises filling her head._

_"Okubyou..."_

_She freezes. Her mother is already behind her. Since when?_

_"...Let's go home. Don't bother them."_

_Disappointed is an understatement. She then turns away and follows her mother back to their eternal labyrinth._

_**12. MANUKE **_

_She trails behind the little girl in pink. Her Lady Goddess is as radiant as ever. Seeing Her is enough to make her giddy with childish excitement._

_A summer festival is the day of games and cheap prices. Her eyes twinkle watching a bunch of goldfish swim around the stall, agitated by the costumers' nets trying to catch them. The girl in pink and Her friends are taking interest in one black and red fish who always manage to dodge the nets._

_Her Ladyship tries. The goldfish jumps from Her net like pro at the last second._

_The Little Mermaid is the next. The thin net ripped by her boisterous swing. Maybe she trains with her sword too much?_

_The twin-drill lady is the one who tame that robust fish. Her hand is graceful, her motion is gentle._

_The younger girls clap at her success._

_"My..." the drill lady puts her hand on her cheek, a little embarrassed. "But I don't have a place for this little one."_

_"How about we save up some of our allowance to buy one?" the mermaid says, "We'll take care of them together."_

_The friends are laughing together, joy and happiness bursting like a sudden spotlight._

_She's watching with awe._

_The next day, her mother exasperatedly scolds her for putting a lot of fish tanks and colorful speciments inside in every corner of the city. But fishes are a symbol of friendship, she protests. She clings to her fish tanks until her mother gives up and let her do whatever she likes._

_Thus, the birth of Mitakihara Public Aquarium._

_**13. HIGAMI **_

_They are hunting the white rat._

_One of them is sneaking around the neighboring town like a rat it is_

_Suddenly, she has an idea._

_Hey, why don't we make a race? She says to her sisters. More white fluff, the better. Piling inside the grave and closing the hole, dancing on the ensuing tomb and making a lively of the graying scape. A bright end of the king of rat, a proper closure to the archenemy._

_Her sisters tilt their head a little, slightly confused at the proposal._

_The distraction allows the rat to escape. And the race turns into chasing after it instead._

_They still throw its white fluff to the air like confetti at least, but it disappoints her to see her plan never take flight._

_Oh, well... the rat still makes a very good bonfire they can dance around. Next time, they will make the entire winter snow from its fluff. A little macabre, like that manga she once read, but it seems interesting._

_Ah... The world has so many things that she wants to see._

_**14. GANKO **_

_The Law of Cycle is indeed a very strong concept._

_The very foundation of the world's law of the magical girl._

_Somewhere, Her Lady Goddess is still collecting those fallen from their despair, absorbing them into the Law, turning them into a part of herself._

_You can say that Puellae Magi are Her children, just like them are Mother's children._

_But the analogy is slightly flawing. They're not Puellae Magi, after all._

_Nevertheless, she stands vigilant in her post, watching over Her Ladyship to make sure the Law doesn't take Her back._

_This world is heaven; after all, Mother creates this world only for You. She creates the world where You, or Your people, can never feel sorrow. Isn't this the world that You always dreamed of?_

_Maybe it's not a true heaven, but this world is the best Mother can give to You._

_Why You can never truly accept it? _

_**15. AI**_

She's the runt of the pack, the little sister who not yet allowed to come out of her casing. Her mother is kind while her older sisters are a bit crueler with their pranks, but there's one thing they always agree of. She's not allowed to get out of her casing yet.

Mother gave her a dress she used to wear when she was a Witch, and her sisters gave her a very nice drill handmade by them. The hand drill is similar like a wind up key; she will put it in some random surface and the drill will start playing a song. Round and round, the song is like those of the musicians busking with their accordions her sisters like to listen to.

But more often than not, her hands are flat against her plastic cage, watching the world goes by and she still not allowed to get out. She watches her sisters playing in the city merrily and she often cry because she cannot join them. Everyone once in a while will bring gifts and presents, but she doesn't really want them. Running around the city and playing in the world her mother created is her dream, carried over from her sleep and continued seamlessly as she watches from behind her cage.

The moon is unusually large today, which means Mother is going to visit her.

And there she is!

She runs to the edge of her casing, hands flat against the surface.

Can I go out now, she asks her mother. Her wish is quickly stomped flat when Mother sings that abhorrent nursery rhyme again.

"No, not yet... No, not yet..."

**End**

**88888**

You think it's a new chapter? Too bad, have some Clara Dolls instead.

This fanfic, of course, is spoiler of the Rebellion Story movie. Here is my interpretations of the true nature of our Homuhomu's self-loathing. Not following the newest cards of the Children from the OST most of the time.

But I concede, the Children of the Fake City are the best thing came out of the Rebellion Story. They're exactly the thing I expected from the Witches and their pretentious symbolisms; the entire epilogue is basically them screwing around with the audience's perception of what actually happen in it. Intended reaction by Shaft? Or the audience are in actuality divided into nothing but goldfish and self-proclaimed elitists? I demand season 2, either way.

I have to make a confession. My other fanfic, Observation, is what I think a fix-fic at its base. I romaticized many of Homura's flaws like in the anime's ending, maybe because I'm sorta in confusion of her end fate and the ensuing fridge logic. A ruthless and obsessive pseudo yandere into the Goddess' anti-nihilist chosen one is kinda a big leap of morality, so the nail in the story is when she finds the best way to have the golden ending is to unite the girls through understanding of one self and power of friendship.

In short, i turned Homura into a visual novel harem protag. Not that it's bad of a concept, especially with her new game plus route she took in the anime, but by changing the basic of her journey to match her self at the anime's epilogue, it instead makes the contrast between the Homura before and after Madoka's wish very jarring.

And Urobuchi comes in and rips me a new one by focusing such flaws. He shows possibilities, even a little, that kind Homura is not going to last long. I come to notice that's just the way Urobuchi goes with his characters; he molds someone from a stereotype and breaks that cliché into something unexpected, and this time he takes a potshots at us fandom. It's amazing just how much he embarrassed me from my wishful thinking.

And so, I admit defeat to the Butcher once again.


	2. Chapter 2

**June the 15th, 2013**

It was a glorious day for both the Puellae Magi and the Incubators. An incredibly great number of Wraiths had been sighted marching in the great desert far north of Kamakura City, the same ground zero of the Battle of A Thousand Wraiths in 2011. The previous fight had destroyed the greenary of the nature characteristic of the Kamakura and, as the higher-ups grew even more worried, decreed that this location and only this location was allowed to be the battlefield for a greater number of Wraiths.

But this time, it was not a thousand Wraiths that lumbered through the shifting sand. It was one hundred thousands of them. The entire horizon was lined by these beasts, almost like the sand itself. The amount that frightened the older girls for proving their elders' theory was not only true, but happening at this very moment.

That malice of the mankind had grown so great, one day human might be wiped off by their own personification of their vices.

While the Puellae Magi had debated over the best course of action, one girl flew alone into the heart of this great army.

Homura Akemi.

One damn insane Puella Magi who had spoken of the Law of Cycle as "Madoka Kaname". Who met scepticism and jeering from her fellow magical girls, even from her partners Mami Tomoe and Kyouko Sakura. Who was unquestionably the strongest Puella Magi had ever born, but still incapable of gaining respect for herself even after 3 years of showing again and again she had never wrong or lose. Maybe the curse of Cassandra inherited by her.

She flew into the great desert and fought alone against the horizon full of Wraiths.

The Wraiths were defeated, but she wasn't found anywhere. Fellow magical girls looked high and low for this black winged angel, without any result. For three months, they searched before giving up and believing that she was usered by the Law of Cycle. At least, she finally be embraced by this "Madoka Kaname".

It was not the case.

At June the 15th, Incubators were rejoiced for a different reason than the great amount of Grief Cubes left in the battlefield.

**88888**

Unlike any ordinary familiar, they were born one by one as the existence independent from their mother. Unlike Lotte... or Lilia... or Liese, who were mindless on their own, they were of a greater purpose.

At least, that's what she believes.

She was the first born. She remembers when she was licking herself clean beside her mother, who sleeps through it with her hands clasped over her stomach. She crawls to the sleeping form, and shakes Mother's shoulder.

"...Mutti?"

No respond. She shakes her mother harder.

"Mutti!"

Still no respond. She then crawls closer and whispers to her ear.

"Guten Morgen, Mutti... Frühstück ist heir..."

She watches that pale face for a moment, only seeing no movement except for that wild and frantic eyes behind the closed lids. She feels like crying. Her mother isn't waking. She doesn't know what to do.

Only then, she notices that small hum.

She looks up. The sky is full of those red floating eyes, watching her mother with that perverse curiosity.

Those white rats! It must be their fault!

Her eyes flicker red. She crawls over her mother's body, trying to pry that large bow from her grip. Just one arrow...! She just needs one arrow to strike down those heathens! How dare they-

"_Together..."_

She stops. Looking around, her eyes are only meeting the same red eyes and Mother's unmoving body. But she was sure of it; Mother's voice...

"_Together... so happy together..."_

"Mutti...?"

She's dreaming... but she's not waking up. Mother is... happy? Mother is happy dreaming?

...

Then so be it.

She sits cross-legged on the small space around her mother, watching her dreaming. It's a little boring, but that's fine. She's going to protect Mother's happiness no matter what and how.

She sits for... she doesn't know how long, but then she sees Mother's egg shines for one moment. It shines from the inside of that colorful prism and its nail harnesses, and a black sludge falls from it down to Mother's sleeping form.

She stands quickly, a little surprised. Her mother's body is soaked by that sludge. She must hurry to clean it up before Mother catches cold!

But the sludge is moving, squirming and writhing.

It changes form into another just like her. Blond hair and bluish grey skin.

She peers over Mother's arm, watching this new creature tries its new limbs. Its legs wobbles so badly (unlike her) and it quickly falls to its backside. She can't hold it. She laughs at this sight.

The new being looks up, staring at the laughing visage with those same eyes. Then, those eyes fall into her lap.

She stops laughing.

Now she's watching her(?), those eyes for some reason are different of her own; though at the first glance are identical. Those sorrowful eyes... make her feel a little bad for laughing. She inches closer and, after some mental debating, pats the younger doll at her head. Soft strokes, long and gentle along the hair length. She's not very sure, but it feels right.

"...Mutti?"

She shakes her head.

"Schwester." She points at herself, then pointing at the sleeping magical girls, "Mutti."

And so, it's the beginning of her life as the eldest of the children. She will be the one who welcome her sisters when they were born, then she will bath and give them clothes. She's the one everyone will have their problem spoken to, and the one who mediates the more headstrong sisters from stabbing each other.

She's the most important of Mother's children. The thought can always make her puff out her chest.

The last one borned from Mother's egg was Ganko, but she has a feeling it's not over yet.

Lately, Mother mumbles more often than she usually is. Her eyes move 43 times per minute; about 3 times more than the usual. Everyone's worried, even Reiketsu.

Until they finally hear just what their Mother really wants.

The Law of Cycle and Her salvation.

"Gott ist tot! Und wir haben ihn getötet!"

Reiketsu speaks with her strong voice. A voice that loud enough to be heard from every corner of this fake city that just formed not long ago. A voice that shakes everyone's heart who listen to it.

Mother is a Witch; a Witch who's also the Incubators' bait to lure the Great Goddess that Mother always speaks with fondness even though she's not exactly conscious. If they're to indulge their mother's wish to meet the Goddess, then the Goddess' death would be on Mother's hand.

Manuke starts crying at this exclaimation. It becomes the sign for chaos to break among them.

And she's the one everyone is looking to.

She then decides.

"Gott ist tot..."

**88888**

They arrange this Mitakihara just like how Mother remembers it. From every chair to every landmark to every speck of dust. The only thing missing is the actors.

Three teams; duty, kidnapping the necessary people.

She, along with Warukuchi, Mie, Namake (though she needs a bit 'encouragement' to do so), and Higami arrive in the front porch of the ramen shop. Their target is visiting her hometown, stuffing her face with noodle.

She taps the spearwoman on her shoulder.

"Hng? What?"

She points over her own shoulder with her thumb.

"You want me to come with you? What's the deal with it?"

Suddenly a fire extinguizer slammed harshly behind the red warrior's head, knocking her unconscious. The eldest daughter rolls her eyes exasperatedly at Namake, who only shrugs absent-mindedly.

"Auf diese Weise schneller."

They came back with the red warrior slung over her shoulder. Namake let out a small giggle at how ridiculous she looks; she's on the short side, after all. Not as short as Wagamama, but still pretty short to carry someone who's about twice her height.

Not that she let them carrying this particular burden, though. As the (self-proclaimed) dutiful child, it's hers to burden herself with any cargo they have.

The other teams already arrive. The presumed family of the Great Goddess, the twindrill lady, the pair of hormone-addled teenagers, the unfortunate cake, and...

"...Wer ist das?"

Ganko wordlessly pulls the sheet of paper that depicts her target. And yes, the brown-haired boy is there.

"Da."

Well... It's not exactly her job to ask what's this boy has anything to do with the fake city.

Now, with the stage ready, they only need to wait for their Mother put the last touch.

.

.

.

She never thought it's going to be so boring.

With her mother in bliss with her own ignorance, they're sealed and suppressed in the deepest part of Mother's subconscious. Some of her sisters wail loudly through the barrier so Mother can hear them, but she suspects only a small whisper and glimpse can get through her.

Sister, do Mother hate us?

One day, out of the blue, Higami asks her that question. She looks down to those chocolate coronet-like drills and shakes her head.

I don't know, she says with the gentlest voice she can. Higami hugs her legs close, unconvinced. Only then, she realizes just how bad her maternity skill. Not as a leader, but more like an older sister. She huffs, strikes a gallant pose, and thumps her fist over her chest.

Don't worry! She definitely loves us!

Higami rises an eyebrow (do we have eyebrows?) at this.

What makes you so sure?

She then speaks with utter confidence and pride.

Because I've never wrong, of course!

Higami only stares at her for a seemingly eternity. She feels cold sweat start forming on her forehead as she's frozen in her heroic pose.

But then her younger sister giggles at the performance.

Yes, you've never wrong, Sis!

Morale saved!

The serene atmosphere, of course, doesn't stay for long. Ganko slams the metaphorical door open with the grace of rampaging bull, shouting that it's time. She grits her teeth.

It's time.

Their first experience outside the boundary field is in the rotating park over the great lake. They sit around the street musician made from Mother's decaying psyche, listening to her conversation with the Wudan. They're starting to notice things indeed... Wagamama whispers to Mie about her own suspicions, but they had agreed to see how things will go first.

Mother comes back from her failed bus trip. Her memories came back at full force.

At least, that's how Okubyou and Yakimochi reported it.

But her memories about her own 'death' is still not yet realized. Their revenge to the Rat King still needs to wait, their mother's funeral still needs preparation, and their youngest still needs to be born. No, not yet...

**88888**

Mother doesn't take the reveal well. She throws herself to the Goddess' noble visage, caressing the statue's legs in worship. Yakimochi and Wagamama are slightly bristling at the sheer love Mother shows to this shadow she doesn't even sure of existing. The eldest daughter steels herself, her food is nothing but an ugly pulp clenched between her fist.

"Gott ist tot!" she cries.

Her arm is swinging to its limit to throw the fruit with merciless vengeance at this 'shadow'. For torturing Mother, for baiting her on without a single comfort, and her mother herself for falling in this situation.

Wake up, Mother! Wake up and say the word, and we're going to make everything better!

Even if it's your death you desires, then death you shall get.

Mother tries to convince herself that what she had suspected is not true. They scream louder and louder the more she shies away from the truth.

"Fort! Da! Fort! Da! Fort! Da! Fort! Da...!"

But, even though they cry for the truth, their heart cry for something else.

It hurts!

Stop it!

We should help her! Not... not this!

But they can't hide it anymore. Their very existence demands so Mother will one day find out. Their very existence demands their mother to suffer through all these torture. Her mind breaks into many fire and chaos. Of imageries and farces. The entire boundary smells like a broken dream.

She wants to blame everyone and anyone for making her mother suffer. The Goddess in pink and white making Mother doubting herself, the rat and the other of its kind for trapping her in this hell, themselves for being such useless children, her own mother for falling in love with such an aloof concept...

They stand in a straight line, surrounded by fire and brimstone, as they welcome their mother. Their disguise melts away, showing that blue skin, frozen grin, and unblinking eyes. The fact they exist taunts their mother of her fate.

The stage is laid.

She grits her sharp teeth for the nth time since the past hour. She sees several of her sisters looking down at something. A pink spool of thread. The trace of the Law of Cycle.

Nekura looks down to the spool disdainfully and kicks it away.

Mother hides herself under her blanket until the white rat approaches her, taunting her own its abhorrent plan. Taunting Mother of her egg, suspended by nails driven through it and sealed inside a prism. Taunting her of her love being the reason of their plan to destroy the salvation of the Puellae Magi.

Unforgivable!

The entire world explodes.

Their mother screams in agony; many of them are crying unable to hear more of that mindless torture. And as she bleeds waterfall, drowning the rat in that black polluted blood, the last born child almost arrive.

"_Kill it!"_

That's the only command they need to hear. Stabbing, hitting, killing... every part of this heathen will be vaporized until there's nothing it can consume for its opportunistic goal. Let them know the wrath of the Nutcracker Witch! Let their plans fail forever! Forever and ever and ever and ever and ever...!

**88888**

**August the 17th, 2013**

Once again, Mitakihara is ours.

We finally run through the city's roads at our heart's content.

The Goddess has been brought down by the ascended Devil, and Her mortal self is again alive along with her old life she had abandoned.

It won't be long before She notices, Warukuchi speaks.

She doesn't need to say that; everyone's already know it.

This is not the happiness Mother has searched for. Even though she knows the Goddess has been saved and the Rat King finally brought down to their knees, one day it's for naught when the Law of Cycle claims its rightful place.

And when that happens, Mother will have no place in this world and the next.

But that's fine.

Even just a little, Mother can be happy knowing Her Ladyship is unreachable by the white rats. All she needs to do is to stand vigilant on this world Mother had worked so hard to create.

Waiting for the fated clash.

And when Ai finally comes out of her cage...

Who knows what's going to happen...

**End?**

**88888**

Though it's a little late, but in honor of the Night of Walpurgis, I present you Rebellion though Ibari's eyes!

Thanks for those who read and those who write review. I guess I have to stop writing things when I'm half asleep or the result will continue to drive me crazy with its shitty grammar and typos.

The timeline in this story is basically the headcanon of when exactly Rebellion happens. Since Kazuko-sensei rants about Mayan Apocalypse didn't happen, we can assume the date is after December 2012. And with the calendar (though not the year) in Hitomi's phone, we can assume at minimum they're in August 2013. I think it make sense in some way; I'm noticing the girls have slightly longer face than in the anime (except for maybe Madoka, but it's the forever moe Madoka Kaname anyway). It still doesn't explain why they're still in junior high unless they have a same uniform...

Maybe I'm going to write more about the children, but I don't really have any further plan except for one-shots right now.


	3. Chapter 3

So, you clicks this one story expecting a story about the Devil and her naughty minions' shenanigans in the world she had created by separating the Goddess from her mortal self?

This chapter is not that kind of story.

Let us diverge our attention from the infamous movie and its flame war-ridden ending into the technically unconnected world for sake of the author's convenience.

There's a kingdom that mostly led by its Queen, the princess is kidnapped by a witch. Who is also her best friend. Maybe it's not as much a kidnapping, and more like the witch wants to have a sleepover with the princess.

It's a kidnapping? Oh, well... let's go with the kidnapping.

Thus, the knighthood of the kingdom is tasked with the retrieval of the princess. The mermaid knight slammed her gauntlet fist on the table. The table then, appropriately, breaks into two.

"So!" Sayaka shouts to the assembling soldier, "What is our mission?"

"Rescue the Princess!" the soldiers (they're technically gardeners under the head gardener's command; but since they lack soldiers, they have to make with everything they have) boisterously shouts back.

Mami smiles that serene smile of hers, though from the way her eyes twitched she's not that sure spirit is enough to do with what is basically a war.

"Tch! Brave amateur..." Kyouko grumbles, "At least they're useful for distraction."

"That's too bad, but it's the plan. Let the soldiers distract the main force of the tin can army, slip inside the castle, save the Princess and get out before Homura get her hands on us." Sayak elbowed her partner on her ribs.

"Don't forget with the personal guards. I heard each of their strength is equal of a hundred men." Mami the sighs on her tea cup. "If anything, I'm more concerned with our part."

"Don't worry. Homura might not stupid, but she's very easy to lull into thinking she has control of the situation. As long as we make her concentrate with the siege, we can get inside without her knowing." The blue knight then laughs (somewhat evilly). "Sayaka-chan is such a genius!"

"See? She's still as idioic as when she was still a squire and got eaten by the giant bird."

"I can see your concern, Sakura-san."

"Oi, Kyouko! Are you doubting my ability?" said 'idiot' indignantly huffs. Kyouko only snorts.

"Didn't ya hear what Mami said? The most dangerous is the personal guards; those creepy dolls that often lead the tin soldiers. The last time we fought them, one of them kicked you so hard into that giant bird."

"Not to mention the army itself is quite formidable. Most might be mindless, but their sheer number makes Akemi-san pretty confident with her fortification. She definitely will see this attack as mere distraction, we're lacking personnel after all."

Sayaka wilts at her senior's deconstruction of her tactic. Mami awkwardly smiles in apology.

"But it's not like we have any other choice. Get in, then get out. That sounds easy enough."

"Mami-saaan!" the mermaid knight now has her eyes full of stars as she fawns on her senior. Kyouko clicks her tongue in annoyance.

"You spoil her too much, Mami..."

She then sees their bugler walks from the middle of their soldiers lines. Nagisa watches Sayaka, still starry-eyed, and purposefully blows her horn right on the mermaid's ear. The result is as expected. Nagisa ignores her angry rant and salutes both Kyouko and Mami.

"The men are ready to start marching. Order?"

"Yes." Mami stands from her chair, which then folded by her personal handmaiden, "March in tight formation, archers right behind the shield-bearers. Determine the range of the enemy's ballistae before start pressing against the enemy's line. Make sure the shield-bearers are doing the job."

"Yes, Ma'am!" Nagisa salutes once before turning to the army.

Mami clasps her cape by its brooch.

"Let's go."

**88888**

Nekura looks out of the tower's many window, already seeing the dust cloud flying of the marching army since morning. She turns to Ibari, who only picking meat from the between of her sharp teeth with its bone.

(For readers' convenience, the author provides the translation for the Children's dialogue. Please note that the characters in-universe are not necessarily understand it unless they have extensive knowledge of Germanic language, which as far as the author knows, they have nada.)

"The Princess' army is coming..." the melancholic daughter says, her eyes unblinking. Her older sister only let out a dismissive sound similar to growl and yawn. Nekura sighs, "Are you listening, Sister?"

"Yeah..." again, Nekura sighs.

"You're not worried?"

"Not at all. Those guys won't even scratch our walls, much less breaking in our gate." Ibari throws the bone out of the window, where an unfortunate tin soldier gets nailed by it. She stretches her arms above her head.

"Just put the Lilia in some tall places, and watch the invasion bursts to flame. It's easy, no?"

"But the knights-"

"We'll handle the knights. Don't worry, Mother is safe. So is the Princess."

Ibari flicks her sister's forehead mischievously. Nekura, though still a little unsure, grows a little more confident from Ibari's infectious charm. She puts her finger in her outh and whistles loud. A Liese flies to the window's mouth, answering her call. Nekura gives it an instruction to put the Lilia along the walls and the Lotte to march in their usual formation. She watches it flies away before turning to follow Ibari to the war council.

Cut to when these armies clash, the knights successfully slip through the small opening when the drawn bridge closed. Sayaka pants, weighted down by her armors.

"Where do you think the Princess is?" Kyouko shouts, ensnaring the patroling tin soldier with her chain spear and breaking its head.

"Shouldn't she in the highest tower?" Sayaka inquires, "That's the usual hiding place for the hostages, right?"

"Isn't that the underground dungeon?"

"Knowing Akemi-san, I'm guessing the private quarter."

"Why would she- oh..."

"No use of speculating now! We have no time to worry about that!"

"Sorry..."

Behind a pillar, several figures are stalking the running knights.

"... Turn the alarm. We have stranglers in the castle." A figure speaks into a small radio pinned on her collar. The radio speaks back

"_... Warukuchi, don't tell you're going to engage them?"_

"Don't worry. Reiketsu and Noroma are with me."

"_More reason to worry about you, then."_

"Heh! We're just going to delay them before reinforcement comes and dogpiles them. Don't tell Mother, this day should not be disturbed with this kind of thing..."

"_...Just don't die. I'll chase after you in the afterlife if you dare dying on me..."_

"Haha, I'm a big girl, Sis! I can take care of myself."

"_... Fine. If things go hairy, retreat immediately."_

"Roger." She then turns to her teammates. "Prepare to engage the target."

Her companions nod.

Mami shoots her target with incredible accuracy. The tin soldiers' head are heavy and large; when they're shot, they burst into metal scraps that are ringing against the stone floor and warning more soldiers to come swarming. She shoots from a safe distance, where the soldier are not aware of the location before it's too late. The tin soldiers come running into her sight like meat to grinder.

Sayaka pulls her swords and slashes the soldiers Mami missed in the between her reloading. Her opponents are heavy, her slashes are not as clean as she like it. Chains rattle behind her like a snake hissing, warping around her protectively. She sends a smile of gratitude, but then in the middle of battle, with her heightened sense, she hears a sound of clothes rustling that wasn't theirs.

The air whistles, and Sayaka barely parries a spear thrust that was aiming the back of her neck. The one who attacks her was a terrible construct of magic, blue-skinned and mouth as wide as its face. Its short red hair bristles slightly when the knight's sword stops its descend and its entire weight, the creature snarls with its shark-like teeth.

Sayaka widens her eyes; she parrying the attack makes her noticing other two are jumping on her, spear first. The red haired doll, the tallest of the three, put its entire weight into the thrust, pushing Sayaka down on the floor. Her armor and swords make a loud clank on the stone, her body stradled by a murderous doll. The doll raises its spear over its head, its smile widens even more.

"Für Mutti!"

Sayaka punches the doll right on its face. The doll is distracted, but the other two jump on her, pinning her arms to the stone floor with their spears.

"Sayaka!"

Kyouko's chain spear rattles and whips the dolls' body, sending them away from Sayaka. Mami takes the chance and shoots at the white-haired doll. The smaller blond doll slams its entire body to it, making the shot miss just barely.

'They're supporting each other!' Mami watches the entire thing. 'So the dolls really have intelligence to pull those stunts...'

But she has no time to be awed. She already reloads her rifle as Kyouko tries to driven off the trio, her left eye closes in preparation to take aim at the smallest one.

The white-haired doll sees her attempt, throwing its spear right at where her muzzle is aiming to. The bullet collides with the spears, protecting her target and sending the spear whirling in the air. The doll runs to her with its hands outstretched. Mami put a hasty resistence, her greaved leg swinging at the doll's torso.

The doll catches her leg, bracing its own feet on the ground, and throws Mami into the floor. It pins her leg under its right elbow, before it's slamming its entire weight into Mami's back with its left elbow. The blond knight feels air leaving her lungs.

"Pick someone your own size!"

Warukuchi hears Reiketsu screaming at the twindrills lady. Or she thinks she heard it. She's too busy with the two knights' aggressive attacks to be bothered.

'Noroma is still recovering her spear... Looks like I'm the only one.'

The red warrior is very fierce. Her spear leaves no space for her to get inside her defense, but if she can get inside, decisive strike is not impossible. Warukuchi then ducks to avoid a wide arc of sword slash. Its blade seems to leave a glinting line on its wake. But it's not as fast as the spearwoman's attacks. Warukuchi laughs at the mermaid knight's attempt.

"You fight like my baby sister! You'll waller on the ground before you can hit me!"

She has to take down the mermaid first.

But it's easier said than done. Even though she's slower, her dual wield makes her defense tight. Her spear thrusts are lightly parried by the red spearwoman, just to not be too dangerous, as the mermaid presses her offense.

Noroma jumps in and pins the sword strike aiming for Warukuchi's head to the floor, enough to distract the mermaid. She jumps over her sister's head to deliver a harsh kick to the mermaid's head. The blue knight topples to a puddle while she's cheering in her head.

Suddenly, a large shadow swallows her.

She looks up, only seeing three gigantic eyes. Empty like Rat King's eyes.

Oktavia von Seckendorff swings down her sword, ripping the red-haired doll into two. It bleeds black sludge from its wounds and its mouth. It's choking, laying helplessly on the stone floor of its mistress's castle.

The other dolls stop their assault, immediately jumping to their fallen comrade.

Sound of steps, then a united horrified gasp.

The knights look up, seeing what might be the shortest of dolls they had ever seen followed by an entire legion of tin soldiers and tooth ballistae. The doll, with its large hat and messy black hair, stutters when it sees its kins.

"W-Was...? Was ist da los...?" then its eyes cross with its bleeding kin, "Entschuldigen, Mutti ist-"

A purple flame bursts in front of the essambling legion.

Homura Akemi walks out of the flame, her tired eyes wrinkle even deeper. She then turns to the offending party, frown twisted into snarl.

"What have you done to my daughter?"

**To be Continued?**

**88888**

I know it's a little cruel, but Happy Mother's Day, Homu.

Yeah, this short is mostly inspired by a 4chan anon's remark that if Madoka and the others want to save Homura from her suicide and the ascension to demonhood, they should kill her dolls. Because if they're really the personification of anything bad of her, then killing them is essentially purifying her. This concept started whirling in my head after what I think an implication of them being future bosses that are fighting in groups, or even all fourteen of them in pack. Kinda reminds me of the Jobmasters from Bravely Devault.

I should go to hell for writing this for sake of torturing Homura, but the irony is like the time with Fate/Zero. I just can't let this one go forgotten.


End file.
